Ever since Joe and I bought our house a year ago, I have been trying to fill it. After realizing that I could not afford anything from my favorite stores like Pottery Barn, Anthropology, or God… I couldn't afford Walmart… I started checking out discount websites. I quickly discovered the three most addictive websites for the 1-minute online shopper: Amazon Gold Box deals of the day (or of the hour), Woot.com, and Craigslist. I check each website at precisely 7:15 AM each morning, EVERYDAY, as if it were as vital as brushing my teeth, I check to see if this is the day I will finally buy something I REALLY need at an unbelievably low price. I imagine myself telling my friends and family about the ridiculous deal and they will react with such jealousy that they will start checking it every day, too. The problem is, over the past year, I have bought only one item from each site.
I can handle the disappointment from amazon and woot, I buy a lot of stuff from Amazon and Woot is just plain funny so I let it slide that they pretty much focus on discount tech-gear that I rarely even know how to use. Craigslist, however, straight up ticks me off. I see a listing like this: Soft, beautiful leather sofa $600 and I think YES, this could be the ONE! Exactly what I need… a clean soft, leather sofa… price is a little high but I bet it's worth it, I bet I can talk them down… and then, I see the picture:
…and all I can think is: wtf. I mean, seriously? You expect someone to PAY for this!? I get angry, I close out my browser, I return to working earnestly, I talk out loud about "people" and who they think they are. But, indefinitely, I go back, skip past my last selection and keep looking.
Still, I never get over the initial shock of seeing what people think their crap is worth.
